May Newsletter: Campaign Launches June 1; Call For New Cohort of Community Initiatives

May 30

"Harwood empowers us to act as agents of transformative change in our local communities." - Kristin Hansen, Executive Director, Civic Health Project

IT’S TIME TO GET ON THE NEW CIVIC PATH

Rich’s latest book, The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation, will officially release to the public on June 1. And with it, we’ll launch our new Campaign for the New Civic Path.

We want the book—and our larger campaign—to help you step forward amid the chaos, confusion, and uncertainty in society today. You may feel lost or alone. But we know you haven’t given up on creating change.

The book is your map for moving forward. The campaign is your guide to support you along the journey. We need each other, so let’s go together.

Purchase the New Civic Path

P.S. We held our first event yesterday: a pre-release book launch party at the Hardywood Brewery in Richmond, VA. Make sure you follow our social media for insider access to everywhere we’re headed. Here’s where Rich is taking the campaign in the next month.

COME CELEBRATE OUR CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

Come celebrate the publication of Rich’s latest book and the official launch of our Campaign for the New Civic Path!

We’re hosting a nationwide virtual gathering on June 11 at 7 pm ET to roll out our plans for the year, equip you with a practical starting point to creating the change you want to see, and showcase our latest resource: The New Civic Path Book Circle Discussion Guide. We’ll also be raffling off copies of Rich’s book!

It will be a night of live music, connection, and inspiration that you don’t want to miss. See you then.

RSVP for Our Virtual Campaign Kickoff

RECRUITING A NEW COHORT OF COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

We’re excited to announce that we are ready to work with a new round of communities that seek to address today’s challenges by unleashing community-led change.

In the last few years, we have worked deeply with seven iconic communities to demonstrate that Americans have the ability to come together to get things done, even during these divided times. Local, community-led change is more important now than ever before.

That’s why our Board has announced openings for new communities. We will continue to go deep in some communities; and we have developed new, accessible options to meet more communities where they are.

Harwood community initiatives focus on taking action that matters to people while strengthening civic culture. And they have demonstrated impact. Rich’s book Unleashed tells the stories of nine communities that created lasting change. Our latest report, Reading’s Ripples of Change: A New Culture of Shared Responsibility, details how Reading, PA—once declared the poorest community in the country—is creating transformational, systemic change using the Harwood approach.

Now, we seek to partner with communities that want to join a cohort of communities seeking to prove what is possible in America today—at the level that is right for them. A limited number of spots are available, so call us today to connect with our team about working together.

Connect with Our Team

WHY WE MUST REVIVE DECENCY

Is our common sense of decency dead? Today in America, it can certainly feel that way as indecency abounds. Are we really okay with where we are headed as a country—as people? We all play a role in reviving decency today. Rich writes about how in his latest piece for The Fulcrum.

Read Rich's Latest for the Fulcrum

THE CASE FOR A FRESH SPIRITUALITY IN PUBLIC LIFE

Amid widespread division and the ongoing degradation of our public lives, it’s time to foster a fresh spirituality in public life. This fresh spirituality recognizes that we are all seeking to experience transcendence. That each of us is in search of something larger than ourselves. Many will find this in religious engagement. But whether you are a person of faith or not, this spiritual urge exists within all of us. Rich writes about how we might foster the transcendent in public life by tapping into universal values in his latest for The Christian Citizen.

Read Rich's Latest in the Christian Citizen

PUBLIC INNOVATORS IN OWENSBORO GET IN MOTION

This month, scores of Harwood Public Innovators in Owensboro, KY, gathered for an in-person Unleashing Impact Lab to continue learning the Harwood approach and accelerating their early efforts to catalyze community-led change. They’ve already held 30 community conversations to gather public knowledge and hear from people across the community about their aspirations.

The bottom line? These Public Innovators are making down payments on a more Turned Outward way of doing business. People are increasingly feeling seen and heard. The foundation for a new trajectory of hope is being laid. Now, they are using the public knowledge they’ve gathered to increasingly get in motion on issues that matter to people.

Recall that the initiative in Owensboro is just one of the iconic communities we’re working with deeply to prove that Americans of all political persuasions have the public will and ability to address society’s fault lines by coming together to get things done. Individually, these communities represent the different divides plaguing society. Collectively, they demonstrate our innate capacities to change how we work together and create a new trajectory of hope by applying the Harwood approach.

Learn more about our work in Owensboro

TWO INTERNS JOIN THE STUDIO ON COMMUNITY

Harwood’s Studio on Community is our hub for innovation and thinking. A place where ideas are given life. Where creative concepts are tested, practices developed, experiences gained. Today, we’re thrilled to welcome our latest Studio Interns Lila Kenney and Keegan Todd. Both Ohio State John Glenn Fellows participating in the Washington Academic Internship Program, they will aid in research, communications, event planning, and initiatives that support Harwood’s Campaign for the New Civic Path.

Lila is a fourth year honors student at the Ohio State University studying Political Science and Public Management, Leadership, and Policy. Lila enjoys being involved in multiple communities at Ohio State, acting as the Vice President of the Little Gay Book Club, a founding executive of Be The Match at OSU, and an active member of the Mountaineers Club. She serves as a team leader for the American Institutions and Methodology Lab, a collaborative research group for undergraduate students producing high-quality social science research. An outdoors lover, Lila can be found walking through nature or exploring the city while listening to music and podcasts in her free time. She also enjoys reading and spending time with her friends.

Keegan is a junior at Ohio State University studying Public Policy Analysis and Civic Engagement. Keegan is involved in the International City Manager's Association and is interested in local government and community-building. He is also involved in philanthropy and outreach in his fraternity. Outside of work, Keegan enjoys going to the movie theater, exploring the city with friends, and writing.

Learn more about the studio

Upcoming Events

Campaign for the New Civic Path Virtual Launch Event | June 11 at 7 pm ET

We’re hosting a nationwide virtual gathering to celebrate the publication of Rich’s manifesto, the New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation, and launch our Campaign for the New Civic Path. RSVP here.

Unleashing Impact Virtual Lab | July-August

The Unleashing Impact Lab is your crash course to becoming a more effective change agent. Built on nearly 40 years of innovation, our Labs have trained thousands of leaders in all 50 states how to apply the Harwood approach to make a lasting difference. Alumni work in libraries, Goodwills, United Ways, community foundations, faith-based organizations, and elsewhere. In just five catalytic sessions, this Lab will help you unleash a chain reaction of actions in your community that will help create a new trajectory of hope. Our school creates real change. Orientation starts July 16 at 2pm ET. Learn more and enroll now.